THE LONG WAY HOME
REUNITED
"I WANT TO BE ABLE TO USE MY BACKGROUND IN FILM TO MAKE MEANINGFUL STORIES, STORIES THAT MATTER AND THAT SPARK CHANGE IN THE WORLD"

When I first arrived in Australia, it was really overwhelming, but I was really just absorbing everything. It was the first time I had any possessions of my own, things looked different, and even smelled different to back home.

I remember that first day, I went for a nap and when woke up I went to my neighbour’s place and just connected and played with David and Simone – without even knowing how to speak English, we miraculously communicated through play.

Integrating into a new country was exciting. Everything was new, everyone was friendly and it was such a change to what I remembered in the Phillipines and had experienced as a child. I felt safe and loved in my new home and didn’t feel I had any major difficulties adjusting.  I do remember that I wasn’t interested in connecting with other inter-country adoptees or the families from ASIAC, and I don’t know if it was subconscious or because of trauma, at that time I just focused on moving on with my life and fitting into a new culture and learning english.

The most challenging aspect was being in school and learning how to read and write, especially when we were asked to read out loud – that was really difficult for me. I remember it use to take me a long time to read out loud, but no matter how long it took, I was determined to get to the end . I guess that’s the way I’ve always been, fiercely determined despite the challenges around me.

In Secondary school, as I was more competent in speaking english I still found it quite hard to express how I felt and this is probably the main reason why I tended to gravitate towards the Arts – I think singing, drama and dance helped with my expression.

I think dance initially was a way to express myself and as I got older, towards my late 20’s I had done a lot of personal development work and began to learn how to express myself authentically.

Initially when I became a full time choreographer and dancer, I always film my pieces of work so that I could get better. As I started to travel all parts the world and began meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds, I began taking an interest more of their stories.

I always thought when I was learning to make films, that it was for a bigger purpose, It wasn’t just about the tools or learning the software. That was the first part of understanding how it worked, but deep down I also knew that this skill set could be applied to something bigger than myself. I started filmmaking in 2009 and now 8 years later, it turns out that  learning film has eventually going to help me find my parents.

 

PHOTO
Gallery
THE DOCUMENTARY
COMING SOON
Joel aims to use his story to bring awareness to adoption and hopes by making this documentary he will motivate others to write the blank pages of their own narrative.
MEDIA
WHAT'S NEXT?
With more twists and turns than a Hollywood blockbuster, keep up to date on what's happening and how Joel's complex story is unfolding in the media.
WORK
WORK WITH JOEL
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